Irena Brčić Karačonji

Rijeka, 4 June 1973

• 2010 Nicotine and cotinine in children exposed to passive smoking and lung function impairment [PhD Thesis]. Zagreb: Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb; Supervisor: Ljiljana Skender.
• 1999–2004 Postgraduate study in Biology (Toxicology), Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. Assessment of the exposure of human population by determination of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons in urine [MSc Thesis]. Zagreb: Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb; 2004. Supervisor: Ljiljana Skender.
• 1992–1998 Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb (Medical Biochemistry). Optimisation of thrombocytes’ isolation procedure from small blood volume [BSc Thesis]. Zagreb: Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb; 1998. Supervisor: Ivana Čepelak.

• 2023–Today Division of Toxicology, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (IMROH), Zagreb
  Position: Deputy Director, Head of Division–Scientific Advisor
• 2022–2023 Toxicology Unit, IMROH
  Position: Deputy Director, Head of Unit–Scientific Advisor
• 2021–Today Assistant Professor, Scientific Area Biomedicine and Health; Scientific Field Pharmacy; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia
• 2007–2022 Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, IMROH
  Position: Deputy Director, Scientific Advisor (since 2022); Deputy Director, Senior Research Associate (2016–2022); Research Associate (2010–2016); Scientific Novice (2007–2010)
• 2000–2007 Clinical Toxicological Chemistry Unit, IMROH
  Position: Scientific Novice

• Identification of drug abuse in selected populations; Development and validation of analytical methods for trace determination of organic pollutants and their degradation products as well as bioactive compounds in biological, environmental and food samples; Assessment of passive smoking and solvent exposure; Toxicity assessment and assessment of health effects.

• 2023 Familiarization and Basic Customer Training for Agilent 6546 LC/Q-TOF, Zagreb, Croatia
• 2023 Familiarization and Basic Customer Training for Agilent GC 7890 QQQ 7000 HW/SW, Zagreb, Croatia
• 2021 Continuous Education Course (CEC): Old methods, new perspectives: new regulation and approaches to toxicity testing of food chemicals, Rabac, Croatia
• 2019 Development and validation of analytical methods in liquid chromatography; Zagreb, Croatia
• 2019 Application of the standard HRN EN ISO / IEC 17025: 2017; Zagreb, Croatia
• 2017 Training course: Agilent LC-QTOF; Rijeka, Croatia
• 2016 Workshop on development of Early Warning System on New Psychoactive Substances (TAIEX); Zagreb, Croatia
• 2015 Workshop on pharmacology and toxicity of new psychoactive substances (TAIEX); Zagreb, Croatia
• 2014 Workshop Advanced School of Mass Spectrometry; Belgrade, Serbia
• 2014 Expert Mission on assessing the Early Warning System in the area of anti-drug policy (TAIEX); Zagreb, Croatia
• 2014 Study Visit on developing capacities for identification of new psychoactive substances in biological samples (TAIEX); Verona-Pavia, Italia
• 2014 Expert Mission on authorisation of biocidal products (TAIEX); Zagreb, Croatia
• 2006 Workshop on Validation; Lipica, Slovenia
• 2005 Training course: Service and Application IASON PLab, Plab-Allergy; Graz, Austria
• 2005 Technical Support Training on Varian Saturn GC/MS; Zagreb, Croatia
• 2004 Risk Assessment Summer School – RASS X; Bodensee, Germany
• 2002 1^st Toxicology Workshop SloTOX 2002; Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 1997 Molecular Genetics–characterisation of neuropeptide receptors and their genes; Deutsches Institut f. Ernährungsforschung, Bergholz-Rehbrücke, Germany

• 2023 The annual award for the number of citations in the Web of Science for a scientific paper published in the journal Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology
• 2011 Grant from the American Chemical Society for the study visit to participate in the 2011 Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon), Atlanta, USA
• 2004 IUTOX Training and Travel Award for Risk Assessment Summer School–RASS X; Bodensee, Germany
• 1997 IAESTE two-months fellowship in a field of Molecular Genetics–characterization of neuropeptide receptors and their genes; German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany

• Croatian Society of Toxicology (HTD)
• Society of Hair Testing (SOHT)
• The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT)

Teaching activities

• 2020–Today Course: Psychoactive substances in food; Study: Graduate Study of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia
• 2019–Today The use of chromatography in the assessment of psychoactive substance abuse; Course: Selected topics in chemistry; Study: Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia
• 2016–Today Workplace drug testing; Croatian Civil Aviation Agency, Zagreb, Croatia (International Aeromedical Examiners Refresher Course)
• 2016–Today Specialisation in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology for Doctors of Medicine–Clinical Toxicology; Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia
• 2014–Today Specialisation in Occupational and Sports Medicine for Doctors of Medicine – Occupational Diseases, Work-related Diseases and Occupational Toxicology; Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia

Participation on research projects

• 2024–2028 Associate on the scientific project ˝Assessment of efficacy and toxicity of bioactive substances (BioMolTox)˝ (funded by the European Union–Next Generation EU)
• 2023–2024 Associate on the scientific project ˝Endocrine-disruptive effects of a pyrethroid insecticide on steroidogenesis˝ (funded by the Croatian Academy of Science and Art Foundation)
• 2022–2027 Associate on the European Partnership for Radiation Protection Research (PIANOFORTE, Grant Agreement ID 101061037), EUROATOM
• 2022–2024 Associate on the Erasmus+ project “Meet the toxicity-live safely“
• 2022–2024 Associate on the project ˝About science through sport (STEMsport)˝ (funded by the European Social Fund, UP.04.2.1.10.0160)
• 2021–2023 Associate on the in-house scientific project ˝Bioactive potential, metal and nicotine content in edible boletes regarding the toxic metal burden of soil˝ (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, University North, Koprivnica and Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb)
• 2020–2024 Principal Investigator on the in-house scientific project ˝Investigation of toxic effects of new psychoactive substances by biochemical and molecular-biological methods˝ (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, University North, Koprivnica and Children’s Hospital Zagreb)
• 2020-2023 Associate on the scientific project ˝Development of functional beverage in sustainable packaging (JamINNO+)˝ (funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion, grant No. KK.01.2.1.02.0305)
• 2020–2021 Principal Investigator on the scientific project ˝Biological effects of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) honey on tumour and healthy human cells˝ (funded by the Croatian Academy of Science and Art Foundation)
• 2020–2021 Principal Investigator on the in-house scientific project ˝Chemical and radiological characterisation of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)˝ (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health)
• 2019–2023 External associate on the UNIRI project ˝Biological monitoring of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons influence (BTEX) on the population health of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County˝ (funded by the University of Rijeka, grant No. uniri-biomed-18-146)
• 2019–2023 External associate on the UNIRI project ˝Opportunistic Premise Plumbing Pathogens: New Challenge for Water Treatment˝ (funded by the University of Rijeka, grant No. uniri-biomed-18-171)
• 2017–2022 Associate on the national scientific project ˝Assessment of daily exposure to metals and maternal individual susceptibility as factors of developmental origins of health and disease – METALORIGINS˝ (funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, CSF grant No. IP-2016-06-1998)
• 2016–2020 Associate on the in-house scientific project ˝Investigation of interactions between irinotecan and tetrahydrocannabinol on rodent experimental model using integrated biochemical, molecular biology, pathohistological and analytical methods˝ (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health and University North)
• 2015–2020 Associate on the European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research–CONCERT, Euroatom Horizon 2020 (662287-COFOUND EJP-Topic: NFRP-2014-2015)
• 2014–2018 Associate on the national scientific project ˝Organic Pollutants in Environment – Markers and Biomarkers of Toxicity–OPENTOX” (funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, CSF grant No. 8366)
• 2011–2013 Associate on the national professional project ˝Monitoring of organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment of Plitvice Lakes National Park˝ (funded by the Plitvice Lakes National Park)
• 2007–2013 Scientific Novice/Associate on the national scientific project ˝Organic pollutants in environment: distribution, interactions, human exposure” (funded by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, MSES grant No. 022-0222882-2896)
• 2004–2006 Associate on the project ˝Early drug abuse detection” (funded by the Zagreb County Government)
• 2002–2006 Scientific Novice on the national scientific project ˝Pesticides, persistent and volatile organic pollutants in the environment” (funded by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, MSES grant No. 0022003)
• 2000–2002 Scientific Novice on the national scientific project ˝Identification of drug abuse by comparative analysis of biological specimens” (funded by the Croatian Ministry of Science and Technology, MST grant No. 00220303)